Domain Rating

Domain Rating, or DR, is Ahrefs' way of summarising the strength of a site's backlink profile in a single number from 0 to 100. It's based on the quantity and quality of the referring domains linking to you, on a logarithmic scale — so the jump from DR 70 to 80 represents far more link strength than the jump from 20 to 30. DR is one of the most widely cited authority metrics, alongside Moz's Domain Authority and Majestic's Trust Flow, but each tool measures differently so the scores won't match. It's worth remembering DR is Ahrefs' estimate, not an official Google ranking factor. Even so, it's a handy proxy: sites that earn links from many strong, relevant domains tend to have higher DR and tend to rank better. Use it to compare potential link sources, benchmark against competitors, and track your own growth over time. The reliable way to raise DR is to earn genuine links from reputable, relevant sites — including quality directories and editorial mentions — rather than chasing the score directly. You can check any site's DR with our free Domain Rating Checker.